Cerro de Pasco was born as a mining settlement during the XVI century. It became an important outpost for the spaniards, due to the decline of the Potosí mines. During several decades the area was exploited by several travelers and adventurers who were seeking new ventures. Those who settled told tales of how they had earned, as to even buy nobility titles, although the town was struck by more than one tragedy, such as an earthquake that buried 300 people. Daniel Alcides Carrión, a martyr of the peruvian medicine, was born in this city. He dedicated the last years of his life to fighting a peruvian disease, called verruga, which he injected into himself in order to better describe its symptoms. Although he eventually died, his sacrifice and his study allowed others to find a cure, which in turn saved many lives.